The Rose of Victory
by GhostPhoenix113
Summary: Sometimes, being unable to be with the one we want to love can lead to us being with the one will love us back, as unlikely as that person might be. Victory Rose post-S2e5 AU.
1. Ch 1: A Scarlet Rose

"I'm headed down to the sparring arena guys!" Ruby called as she walked across team RWBY's dorm to the doorway.

"Have fun, sis!" Yang replied.

"Don't forget we have a test tomorrow in Port's class that you _haven't studied for at all_!" Weiss yelled.

"Oh, relax Weiss," Ruby replied, rolling her eyes. "I'll be just fine. It's not going to be anything more than just pointing out weak points in the Grimm's armor, and we've all found them dozens of times in the field already. Besides, I kinda need to relax."

Weiss glared at Ruby. "I'd hardly call swinging that oversized gardening tool relaxing."

"Well, it is for me!" Ruby said.

"Whatever," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes.

"See you guys soon!" Ruby called.

Ruby pulled crescent Rose off of her back as she walked out of the door. She rubbed the compressed blade affectionately as she made her way through the halls to the elevator. The door opened, and Ruby stepped inside, placing her scroll over the sensor as she did so.

"Welcome, Miss Rose, how can I help you this evening?" the voice of the attendant asked politely through the intercom.

"First floor, please," Ruby replied cheerfully.

"Of course."

Ruby felt the elevator shudder lightly as it started its descent.

"We have arrived," The attendant said politely as the elevator gently stopped.

"Thank you!" Ruby called as she walked out.

She slowly wandered through the halls, eventually finding herself outside of the arena where Beacon's students had their sparring classes. She walked up and held out a hand to open it, but hesitated as she heard the distinct grunts of someone else working within. Ruby carefully pushed the door open and peered inside. There, in the center of the arena, carving up target dummies with powerful, yet precise strikes, was Pyrrha Nikos. She stopped her attacks briefly and glanced at Ruby, giving her a slight nod before continuing. Ruby could only watch, mesmerized as she fought. Despite the girls obvious skill however, Ruby could tell just by watching that something was bothering Pyrrha. Finally, when the last target fell, Pyrrha stowed her weapons and walked over to Ruby.

"Good to see you Ruby," Pyrrha said cheerfully. "How are you tonight?"

"Great!" Ruby replied. "Wat about you? You seem kinda... Off."

"Oh, it's nothing, Ruby," Pyrrha said politely, though her smile was starting to fade a little.

"Really?" Ruby said, glancing at the carnage of the training dummies that lay in the center of the arena. "'Cause, judging by the targets over there, you seem a little... Not okay."

Pyrrha sighed as her smile completely disappeared. "It's Jaune. He's being... Stubborn."

"You want him to ask you to the dance?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha replied with a nod and a sigh. "He even cut off our training lesson tonight because Weiss turned him down again earlier."

"Yeah," Ruby muttered, sighing as well. "He really does seem set on her. Not sure why he keeps trying though." She gave Pyrrha a light hug. "Well, just keep trying. I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually."

"Perhaps," Pyrrha replied, though she didn't sound as convinced.

"Well, in the meantime, you want to go ahead and run a few training rounds together?" Ruby asked.

"Sure," Pyrrha replied, perking up a little.

Ruby walked over to a wall and tapped a few controls, causing a number of targets to enter the arena. She readied her scythe, and Pyrrha readied her spear as they stood back-to-back and waited. The first targets dropped into the arena, and both warriors picked a target, and began their attack. Ruby's scythe cleaved through her first target's midsection as a barrage of sniper rounds slammed into a target on the other side of the room. Pyrrha charged at her first target, leading with her shield, and she slammed it into the wall before turning and slashing through another target. She quickly shifted Miló into a rifle, and fired four shots, which each collided with a different target. Ruby and Pyrrha fought back to back for ten minutes, sending debris flying through the air as bullets and blades struck their targets. Finally, after nearly five minutes of fighting, Ruby and Pyrrha stood holding their weapons in the middle of a field of debris.

"Well, that was fun," Ruby quipped.

"Would you like to have a quick duel before we go back to our dorms?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sure. Tournament rules?" Ruby asked as she hefted her scythe.

"That sounds good," Pyrrha replied, gripping her spear. "Begin!"

Ruby swung her scythe behind her and started to fire a barrage of shots that rocketed her toward the Spartan. She swung her weapon around, striking her opponent's shield and bouncing off, skidding to the other side of the arena. Ruby watched as Pyrrha's emerald-colored eyes analyzed her every move. Pyrrha took up a defensive stance, and Ruby charged again. She felt her weapon start to pull against her swing as Pyrrha activated her semblance, and Ruby dashed around the warrior with her own semblance, striking Pyrrha's shield with Crescent Rose's blade. Ruby could not help but be enthralled slightly by Pyrrha as she and Ruby tangled in combat, her scarlet hair flowing around with each swing of Miló in its sword form. Pyrrha shifted the weapon into its spear form, and launched it at Ruby. Ruby deflected the spear of her scythe, and fired several shots behind her to rocket her towards Pyrrha. Her opponent ducked under the strike and used her semblance to pull her own weapon back to her.

Ruby and Pyrrha continued to duel for nearly ten minutes, with neither making any progress. Finally, both huntresses-in-training lowered their weapons.

"Should we call it a tie?" Ruby asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Pyrrha replied, putting her weapon and shield away.

"Come on, let's go ahead and get back to the dorms." Ruby quipped, putting her scythe away as well.

"Thank you for the duel Ruby," Pyrrha replied, giving her a smile. "You're going to be an incredible huntress one day."

"Thanks," Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "That really means a lot coming from you."

"I mean it," Pyrrha said as the two left the arena. "You have a rare gift Ruby. And, don't forget you got into Beacon two years early _because_ of your skill."

"Yeah," Ruby replied. "Honestly though, sometimes I still don't quite feel ready to be here."

"Well, if you ever need anything at all, please come to me," Pyrrha said giving Ruby a smile as the two entered the elevator.

Both huntresses stood in silence until the elevator finally arrived at their level.

"I had a good time tonight," Pyrrha said as they stepped out of the elevator and started to walk to their dorms.

"Yeah, me too," Ruby replied, smiling brightly.

"We should definitely do this again."

"How about tomorrow?" Ruby asked. "I'm not doing anything tomorrow night."

"I'm working with Jaune some more tomorrow," Pyrrha replied, sounding slightly sad. "Perhaps on Friday?"

"That sounds good!" Ruby said, reaching for her scroll and placing over the scanner for her dorm. "See you at breakfast tomorrow, Pyrrha!"

"Goodnight, Ruby," Pyrrha replied, smiling as she gave Ruby a slight wave.

 _She really is a lovely girl_ , Pyrrha thought as she scanned her own scroll and entered the dorm. _Honestly, I can't wait to be able to work with her again_.

* * *

 **A/N: As, promised, the first chapter of my Victory Rose/Milk and Cereal/Pyrruby/Pole Control/whatever else people are calling PyrrhaxRuby on any given day. Anyway, this isn't going to be a very long story (it'll probably be between three and six chapters), so, sorry if that's what you were expecting. Speaking of Pyrrha and Ruby, who else thinks that those two together would be pretty much the most polite couple on the planet, to the point were their too busy apologizing to fight about anything? For instance, Pyrrha (even after she nailed Jaune to a wall with her spear) still said sorry to him, and Ruby tried apologizing to Weiss even after they exploded due to Ruby's sneeze.**

 **As always, thanks for reading everybody! I'll see you folks in the next chapter of Rose Guardian!**


	2. Ch 2: A Day in Town

"Good morning, everyone!" Ruby said as she sat down at the table in the cafeteria with the rest of her team as well as team JNPR.

"Hello, Ruby," Pyrrha said, giving Ruby a small smile as she sat down. "How are you this morning?"

"Oh, I'm alright," Ruby said. "A little tired after having to do an entire essay for Oobleck last night."

"Isn't that essay not due until next week, though?"

"Well, yeah, but Weiss thought I should get started on it early-"

"Start!" Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "Not 'do the entire thing in one night as if it's being turned in tomorrow' you dunce!"

"Sorry that I've been doing that and getting good grades all of my life!" Ruby shot back.

Weiss sighed. "Look, Ruby, I'm just trying to help, okay?"

"I know, I know," Ruby replied. "It's just... Not what I'm used to."

Weiss sighed. "Well, I guess all we can do is keep working on it."

"I'm sure you'll do great, Ruby," Pyrrha said, giving Ruby a smile.

"Thanks," Ruby said, giving the champion a smile. "Anyway, I need to head into Vale to pick up some ammo for Crescent Rose, and I was also think about looking for a new bolt and scope for her as well. Anyone else want to come?"

"I've got more studying to do, so I can't," Weiss said.

"I'd like to keep looking into the White Fang and Torchwick's activities, sorry," Blake said.

"Sorry, kiddo, but I've got more stuff that I need to do for that project for Professor Peach," Yang said. "I still love ya, though."

Ruby started to look crestfallen until Pyrrha spoke up. "I can go with you," she said. "I was thinking about looking at a new barrel for Miló anyway, and I do need some ammunition myself."

"Yay! Thanks, Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered as she smiled brightly. "You're the best!"

"You two kids have fun out there," Yang snickered.

"So, when were you planning on leaving, Ruby?" Pyrrha asked.

"I was thinking maybe about eleven," Ruby said, "When we get to Vale, we can grab some lunch and still have plenty of time to look around my favorite weapons shop!"

"That sounds fine," Pyrrha said, chuckling at Ruby's seemingly boundless energy.

* * *

"So, what kind of ammunition does Crescent Rose use?" Pyrrha asked as she and Ruby walked up to the front counter of From Dust Till Dawn holding everything they had planned to purchase. "After all, I that you didn't go down the aisle where they keep the ammunition."

"It's actually a custom ammo that I need to order," Ruby said. "Each round is specially designed so that it delivers as much kinetic energy as possible at the point of impact, and more energy means more damage!" Ruby proceeded to blush slightly. "Sorry, I get kind of geeky when I talk about weapons."

"It's no trouble," Pyrrha said with a gentle laugh. "Anyway, doesn't that mean that your weapon is not as good at piercing armored targets?"

"Depends on the target, but for the most part, yeah," Ruby replied, shrugging. "Remember the Death Stalker and the Nevermore from initiation?"

"So, why not use armor piercing rounds instead?"

"Well, then I wouldn't do as much to the more common forms of Grimm since the round would tend to penetrate a little too far," Ruby replied as she walked up to the counter. "Honestly, I'd rather be effective against the more common Grimm."

"Fair enough," Pyrrha replied with a shrug.

"Sorry about that," Ruby said to the shop keep as she turned to him. "I'm here to pick up an order for Rose?"

The elderly man bend down and picked up a box with the word FRAGILE stamped on all of the visible faces. He set the box on the counter and watched for a moment as Ruby looked around in her backpack for her money after placing the box inside.

"Aw, I must have left my money in my room," Ruby said sadly.

"Here," Pyrrha interrupted, pulling out some of her own Lien. "I'll pay for it."

"Thank you so much!" Ruby said, wrapping Pyrrha in a hug strong enough to rival any of Yang's. "You're the best!"

"I'm sure you would have done the same for me," Pyrrha replied, giving Ruby a small smile as the pair left the shop and started to walk through the streets of Vale.

"Well, yeah," Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head. "But still, thank you so much!"

"So, it looks like the airship to Beacon won't be leaving for another couple of hours still," Pyrrha said, pulling out her scroll and looking at the clock. "Is there anything you'd like to do before then?"

"Do you think we have enough time to go to Signal so I can see some of my friends there?"

Pyrrha for a moment. "I don't think so, I'm sorry," she said.

"Eh, it's okay," Ruby said giving Pyrrha a smile. "I'm sure they're all busy right now anyway."

Ruby and Pyrrha walked in silence for several minutes before Pyrrha spoke up again. "Well, is there anything else you'd like to do before we return?"

"I dunno," Ruby replied, shrugging. "I'm kinda enjoying just walking around with you."

"Surely I'm not that exciting," Pyrrha said as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

"You don't have to be," Ruby replied, giving the champion a bright smile. "You just need to be you!"

"Thanks, Ruby," Pyrrha said.

"Don't mention it! Come on, let's go get some ice cream before we head back."

* * *

"Thanks again for coming with me today," Ruby said as she and Pyrrha stepped off of the airship.

"Of course!" the champion replied. "Thank you for letting me go."

"Y'know, I've never seen you smile this much, Pyrrha. Why is that?" RUby asked, looking at the older girl curiously.

"Well, I had a really good time," Pyrrha replied, smiling brightly.

"You have a pretty smile, y'know."

Pyrrha chuckled nervously. "Thanks, Ruby. You're really a lovely girl."

 _You know, I might enjoy spending more time with her_ , Pyrrha thought to herself. _Perhaps even more than spending time with Jaune_.

* * *

 **A/N: There your go! Have a second chapter! More Victory Rose coming soon! Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorite, and reviewed already! Yeah, I get if it feels kind of rushed for Ruby and Pyrrha's relationship, but, as I said in the previous chapter, this probably isn't going to be any longer than six chapters. I mean, there really isn't a lot more I can squeeze out of an idea I had while laying in bed trying to go to sleep. Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Up next is chapter seven of Rose Guardian, where Ruby and Weiss finally get to Atlas! See you folks then!**


	3. Ch 3: Distracted

"Pyrrha!" Ruby called.

"Hm?" she replied. "Yes Ruby?"

"I said is everything alright?" Ruby asked, looking across the library table at her worriedly. "You've been staring at that wall for like... ten minutes now."

Pyrrha sighed. "It's just something Nora said this morning." Ruby looked expectantly at her, and she sighed again. "Jaune was asking Ren for advice about Weiss-"

"This is going to go well," Ruby interjected with a wince.

"Oh no, it's not that bad," Pyrrha said with a small chuckle. "It's just that he was asking for how to get Weiss to go to the dance with him. Anyway, he started talking about all of the reasons he likes Weiss, and I told him to just tell her that."

"So what did Nora say?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha expression fell again. "After Jaune left the room, she told me, 'Practice what you preach, Pyrrha.'"

Ruby thought for a second. "You want to try breaking Jaune's legs?"

Pyrrha laughed so loud that it caused most of the other nearby students to look over. Eventually, after staring for several minutes, Ruby simply joined her, and both girls spent the next several minutes simply sitting there and laughing. Finally the two girls started to regain their composure.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," Pyrrha said, still chuckling slightly. "I have no idea why I laughed that hard."

"It's fine," Ruby replied. "You actually have a really nice laugh."

Pyrrha blushed. "Thank you. You're a lovely girl as well."

Both girls sat there for a moment. "Hey, you wan to go down to the arena to do some practice? That might help you get your mind off of Jaune."

"Sure," Pyrrha replied, and both girls stood up, logging off of the computers they were sitting at as they did so.

Both students walked in silence as they walked through the campus grounds, occasionally passing by groups of students standing together talking, until they finally arrived at the arena. The door to the locker room hissed open to welcome them, and both girls found their way to their lockers. Pyrrha smiled slightly as she felt the familiar weight of her armor, along with Miló and Akoúo̱ resting on her back. Pyrrha closed her locker and started to make her way into the arena. Just before she made it in, however, she felt someone rush past her.

"First!" a grinning Ruby called as she danced around the arena.

Pyrrha chuckled as rose petals slowly fluttered to the ground around her. "So you are, Ruby," she replied. "So, what would you like to do, then?"

"Well, considering how easy it was for us to beat the 'hard' difficulty training bots, why don't we try the expert ones?" Ruby said.

"Sure," Pyrrha replied, and walked over to the control console. When she entered the command, however, it simply popped up with a message saying _ERROR: Expert-level training scenarios restricted to second-year students and above_.

"Well, that could be a problem," Pyrrha muttered.

"What's up?" Ruby asked as she swung her scythe around a few times.

"It appears that we're not allowed to access the more advanced training targets," Pyrrha replied. "I guess we'll just have to make do with the hard ones."

"Oh well," Ruby replied. "I don't mind. Just spending time with you is good enough for me."

 _What did she mean by that?_ Pyrrha thought. _Did she mean as a friend, or..._

"Hey Pyrrha!" Ruby called.

"Yes?"

"I said you can go ahead and activate the bots."

"Oh, um... Sorry. I just got lost in thought," Pyrrha replied as she tapped the control console, causing a number of combat bots to drop into the arena.

Ruby and Pyrrha fought the near-endless stream of bots, their blades and bullets quickly tearing through the lightly armed and armored machines.

"Is everything alright?" Ruby asked as she continued to fight beside Pyrrha.

"I'm fine," Pyrrha replied, ducking under a bot as it slashed with one of its sword-arms. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Ruby replied, cleaving a bot in half with Crescent Rose, "You've been getting distracted really easily lately."

"As I said earlier, I've just had a lot on my mind recently," Pyrrha replied, firing a burst from Miló into another one of the targets. "Between Jaune and... some other things, I've just been finding it hard to focus."

"Well, if you'd ever like to talk, I'd be happy to help," Ruby replied as she shot a round from her sniper rifle into at target that was about to attack Pyrrha. "I'm not sure how much help I'd be, but I'm here if you need me. Heh, that actually kinda rhymes! I guess I'm a poet on the battlefield," Ruby finished, chuckling slightly.

"Your certainly something," Pyrrha replied with a laugh as she fired her spear at yet another target before retrieving it with her semblance.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Ruby said with a gleam in her silver eyes. "I've got a crazy idea. Do you think you could pick up me and Crescent Rose together?"

"Yes, why?" Pyrrha asked.

"'Cause," Ruby said, wrecking several more bots as she swung Crescent Rose in a wide arc. "You could throw me around the room, and I could use Crescent Rose to cut the bots apart while I go through the air!"

"That's... Just crazy enough to work," Pyrrha said. "Hang on."

Pyrrha closed her eyes and focused on Ruby. She lifted the younger girl by her scythe, and brought her through the lines of droids. Before long, all that remained was pieces of debris, and Ruby walked over to Pyrrha.

"Well, that was fun," Ruby quipped.

"Indeed," Pyrrha replied. "And your idea certainly worked quite well."

"You know, I've really had a good time working with you these past few weeks," Ruby said as the pair walked out of the arena.

"As have I," Pyrrha said. "Shall we do this again tomorrow?"

"That sounds great!" Ruby said. "I'll see you then!"

With that, Ruby dashed off, leaving a trail of rose petals fluttering gently to the ground behind her.

 _Oh Ruby_ , Pyrrha thought with a chuckle. _Somehow you can always bring a smile to my face. Speaking of, why is it I'm still pining over Jaune?_ Pyrrha asked herself. _He keeps obsessing over Weiss. Is it because he treats me like a person rather than a celebrity? But Ruby treats me that way too. And she definitely seems to care about how I feel._ Pyrrha sighed as her expression fell even further. _Perhaps it's for the best. I guess I'll just go to the dance alone_.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy chapter 3 folks! The next chapter here is going to be the dance! Expect some Victory Rose there! Anyway, not much to say here today. Guess I'll see guys when I post the next chapter of Rose Guardian! Until then folks!**


	4. Ch 4: The Dance

"Aw, you look beautiful!" Yang said as Ruby walked through the doors to the dance in her dress.

"We need to have a serious discussion about how Weiss fights in these," Ruby muttered.

Yang simply laughed as Ruby walked past her.

 _Not to mention the fact the we need to talk about how you keep deserting me_ , she thought silently as she walked over to the punch bowl. After standing there for several minutes, Weiss and Yang walked up beside Ruby and watched as Blake walked in beside Sun.

"See? Told you she'd come," Yang said with a grin.

"Mission accomplished," Weiss said, smiling.

"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"Just have fun!" Yang called as she and Weiss walked off in opposite directions.

"Does that mean I get to change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Ruby replied. "Stupid lady stilts."

* * *

Pyrrha sighed as she looked at the massive doors leading to the ballroom.

 _I could just leave now and nobody would really notice_ , Pyrrha thought.

Blinking away a tear that had started to form in her eye, she slowly made her way into the massive hall. She looked around, trying to find Jaune in the crowd. When she finally saw him, she briefly considered going to talk to him, but decided against it when she saw he was talking to Ruby. Instead, she walked over to the stairs leading to the balcony and made her way up.

 _Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't shown up at all,_ Pyrrha thought sadly as she leaned against the railing

* * *

"I see you're hanging out at the punch bowl too," Jaune quipped.

"Yup," Ruby replied, popping the 'p.'

"To the socially awkward," Jaune said, holding up his glass.

Ruby chuckled and tapped her glass against Jaune's.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss," Ruby stated.

"Meh, it's okay," Jaune replied. "Neptune's pretty 'cool.' I can see why she went with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, come on, not many people can pull off _blue_ hair."

"No, I mean Weiss came to the dance alone."

"Uh, what?" Jaune questioned, turning to Ruby.

"Yeah, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys," Ruby stated, pointing over to Weiss, who was desperately trying to coax the last bit of life out of a white rose.

"Hold my punch," Jaune growled, handing Ruby his cup.

Ruby took the cup from Jaune and briefly followed him with her eyes until she spotted Pyrrha walking slowly up the stairs to the balcony. When she made it upstairs, she looked around and spotted Pyrrha standing alone at the balcony, leaning against the railing.

 _I should probably go check on her_ , she thought to herself, and quickly drank the rest of her punch before following the Spartan.

"Hey Pyrrha," Ruby said as she walked up next to the champion on the balcony.

Pyrrha glanced over her shoulder to Ruby. "Hey," she replied sadly.

"You okay? I haven't seen you all night."

"No. I arrived late, I'm afraid," Pyrrha stated as she turned back to the balcony and looked out towards the deserted grounds of the academy.

"You look really nice," Ruby said as she walked up next to the Spartan.

"Thanks," Pyrrha replied, giving a small smile

"No date?" Ruby asked as she leaned against the balcony next to Pyrrha.

The older girl sighed as her expression fell. "No," Pyrrha said. "Nobody asked me."

"Really?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha nodded. "I've been lucky enough be granted incredible talents and opportunities," she said sadly. "I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise. But... being put on a pedestal like that leaves you separated from the people who put you there in the first place, because they assume I'm too good for them. I can't form any relationship with them."

"That's _why_ I liked Jaune," she continued. "When he met me, he didn't know who I was. He was my friend because of the person I am, not the fame I have. He's the type of person I was here with. Someone who just saw me for... me."

Ruby sighed. "I guess I kinda know how you feel."

"Hm?"

"I got into Beacon two years early," Ruby said, "so all my friends are still at Signal. I didn't know anyone when I got here, and when I first met Weiss, I mad us both literally explode. I mean, yeah, sure, I've got my team, as well as you and the rest of JNPR now, but almost everyone I know is still back at Signal Academy and won't be here for another two years. I've been trying to write to them as often as I can, but they've kinda stopped replying recently. Plus, when we first got off the airship, Yang didn't even stay with me. She left with her friends. Even now, I'm still here all by myself basically." Ruby let out a sad sigh. "I guess nobody wants to be with the nerdy girl who snuck into Beacon two years early, huh?"

"Don't say that," Pyrrha said. "I'm sure there's someone out there who would love to go to the dance with you."

"Well, Weiss wanted to go with Neptune, but decided to come alone for some reason," Ruby said. "Blake wasn't originally going to go, but she decided to accept Sun's invitation after Yang talked to her, and Yang wanted to go stag." She sighed again. "I'm sorry, I guess you didn't come here to hear my problems."

"It's okay," Pyrrha said, giving Ruby a smile. "I'm sure you'll find someone who'll love to be with you."

Both girls stood there for a minute before Ruby turned to the redheaded champion. "Hey, Pyrrha? Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

"You... You want to go to the dance with me?" Pyrrha asked. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, why not?" Ruby said with a shrug. "Can't be any worse than being here alone."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Sure," she replied. "I'd love to go with you."

"Wait really?" Ruby said.

"Of course," Pyrrha replied with a smile replied "You're a lovely girl, and I'd love to go with you."

"Okay, umm..." Ruby said. "What happens now?"

Pyrrha started to laugh. "Now we dance," she said, taking Ruby's hand and bringing her out to the dance floor.

The two girls started to dance as the music started up, and Pyrrha gently led Ruby through the steps, chuckling slightly each time Ruby tripped.

Oh, sorry," Ruby stammered as she tripped and her foot landed on Pyrrha's toes.

"It's fine," Pyrrha laughed

"Are you sure?" Ruby stammered. "Because I know I-"

"Ruby," Pyrrha interrupted, smiling brightly," You're fine."

Both girls continued to dance for what felt like hours on end, with Ruby becoming gradually more comfortable in her steps. Both girls slowly started to draw closer to each pother with each step.

"This is nice," Ruby sighed as she and Pyrrha moved in sync.

"Yes it is," Pyrrha replied, her emerald eyes shimmering in the dim lights of the ballroom. "Thank you so much, Ruby."

"No problem," Ruby replied, grinning brightly.

Both girls closed their eyes and moved as though they were about to kiss until...

"Whoa, what's that!" Ruby said, pointing outside.

Pyrrha winced and turned around. "Looks like someone is outside," she said, watching the person dash along the rooftops.

"Yeah, but what are they doing?"

"Nothing good, I would venture," Pyrrha said.

"Come on, let's go," Ruby said, pulling out her scroll and dialing her locker. "It looks like they're headed for the CCT."

Ruby and Pyrrha ran through the deserted grounds until they made it outside of the communication tower, where their lockers had arrived just moments before. Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose of her locker, and Pyrrha pulled Miló and Akoúo̱ from hers.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Ruby said. "You remember how we handled those drones in the sparring arena a couple days ago?"

"Yes?" Pyrrha said expectantly

"Do you think you could do something similar to get me to the communication room?" she asked. "Then you could come in from the bottom floor and we'd have them trapped."

"That sounds like a plan," Pyrrha said with a nod.

She reached out her hand and focused her semblance on Ruby's weapon, and lifted both the girl and the hybrid sniper-scythe into the air until they were hovering near the window. Ruby fired four shots into the window, and then fired once behind her, propelling her through the glass. With a satisfied nod, Pyrrha ran through the doors and towards the elevator. She pressed the call button, and used her semblance to pull it faster when it didn't arrive fast enough for her. Finally, the door chimed and opened, and Pyrrha walked in. When the door finally opened again, it revealed Ruby dueling a masked woman with her scythe against her opponents two blades. Before the other woman could react, Pyrrha threw her shield, guiding it gently with her semblance. The shield slammed into the back of the woman's head, knocking her unconscious with the unexpected force of the blow.

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Ruby said with a smile.

"No problem," Pyrrha replied. "Happy to help."

"Sorry that I interrupted our dance," Ruby said,

"Don't worry about it," Pyrrha said. "I had a good time while it lasted."

"Thanks," Ruby said, giving the champion a hug. "Maybe we'll get the chance to continue some time."

* * *

 **A/N: That's chapter four done! And we're almost to the real Victory Rose moments! Also, you guys have managed to put this over 100 follows, so shoutout to NiyomiWolfSlayer for being number 100! You folks are awesome! Anyway, before I go bonus scene:**

Both girls closed their eyes and moved as though they were about to kiss until...

"Whoa, what's that!" Ruby said, pointing outside.

Pyrrha winced and turned around and saw something running along the rooftops. "I can't tell. Whatever it is, it's pretty terribly animated," the champion quipped.

"Tell me about it," Ruby replied chuckling slightly. "Anyway, I suppose we should probably stop whatever that is."

"Probably a good idea," Pyrrha replied, and the two girls left the ballroom.

 **As always folks, thanks for reading! Up next is chapter 9 of Rose Guardian, so I'll see you all then!**


	5. Ch 5: Victorious Rose

"Guys!" Ruby yelled as she ran back to her team's dorm from Professor Ozpin's office.

"What is it, you dunce?" Weiss asked, rolling her eyes as she turned to face Ruby.

"I need your help!" Ruby said, panting slightly.

"Slow down there Rubes, was there an issue with Ozpin and Ironwood?" Yang asked.

"No, no it's not that, It's Pyrrha," Ruby said. "We were at the dance together, and we almost kissed and then we got interrupted by chasing Cinder, and-"

"Woah, woah, slow down there, Ruby," Yang said. "You and Pyrrha what?"

"Well, we were both feeling kinda lonely since we both came alone to the dance, so I decided to ask her if she wanted to dance with me," Ruby said, starting her rambling speech slowly but quickly picking up speed. "Then, when we were dancing we started to get really close, and we almost kissed, and-"

"Wait, _you_ kissed _Pyrrha Nikos_?" Weiss demanded.

"Well, more like she almost kissed me," Ruby muttered, "But yeah."

"Well, that's a thing," Yang stated. "Not sure why you need our help, then."

"Weren't you listening?" Ruby practically yelled. "I said we _almost_ kissed! We got interrupted when I saw Cinder jumping along the rooftops outside the ballroom, so we went to pursue her!"

"And, let me guess," Weiss said, "you want our help setting up so that you two can continue where you left off last night." Ruby developed a sudden interest in her combat boots, causing Weiss to roll her eyes. "Fine. Let's go, you two, we need to help our leader."

Blake shrugged as she set her book down and stood from her bed. "I hope you have a plan, Weiss," she said. As the team left the dorm.

"Who do you think I am? Ruby?" Weiss shot, glaring at Blake. "Of course I have a plan!"

"Hey!" Ruby said as the group of girls made their way through the halls of the academy together. "I've made plans before!"

"Last time you tried to really plan anything, we ended up in a food fight," Weiss muttered, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's got out to the roof.

* * *

"So, you said that you had a plan earlier, Weiss?" Ruby asked as the group of three girls stepped out onto the roof of the dorms.

"Well, there's not much we can do with the scenery on such short notice," Weiss mused. "Sunset or nighttime might make this place look rather nice, however. Yes, that will probably work a lot better. Moon should be at half-shatter, as well, so that will highlight the grounds quite nicely. Do you remember what song was being played when you two left?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "I don't know what it was called, but I remember that it was something kinda medium speed, and used a lot of piano and synth with very little of anything else, and-"

"I think I know which one you're talking about," Weiss interrupted, pulling out her scroll and playing a song. "Is this the one?"

Ruby listened to the soft melodies that the speakers were emitting before nodding her head.

"Perfect," Weiss said, putting her scroll away. "Now, would you like the evening's playlist starting there, or would you like me to find you similar music based on what I just played for you?"

"Umm... The second one?"

"Good choice," Weiss replied. "Now, do you have anything to wear? And no, you may not wear you Beacon Academy uniform. I am _not_ washing that again after you got that strawberry juice all over it."

"Heh, sorry," Ruby replied, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"So? What are you going to wear?" Weiss demanded.

"Ummm... Can I wear this?" Ruby said gesturing to her own clothes.

Weiss sighed. "I guess that will do," she replied, "Now-"

"Come on, Weiss, don't you think you're kinda going overboard?"

"Hush, you!" Weiss said. "So we might still be able to get a nice set of flowers to go over there..."

* * *

"And, last but certainly not least, we can just set up those speakers over here," Weiss finished as Yang set the heavy objects up while the sun started to sink low in the horizon. "That should be everything."

"Seriously, guys, you're the best teammates ever," Ruby said, giving her team a smile.

"I promised you I would be," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes while giving Ruby a smile.

"Come on, I think we should leave Ruby to it," Blake said, glancing towards the sun.

"Yeah, probably," Yang agreed. "Good luck, Rubes."

"Heh, yeah, thanks," Ruby said, starting to sound slightly nervous.

Ruby turned to face the sun as her team left the roof. She watched as it slowly sank lower and lower into the horizon eventually electing sit down on the edge of the roof and close her eyes. Finally, when she reopened her eyes, she saw the shattered moon had just come over the horizon. With a sigh, she stood and walked back into the halls until she stood outside of team JNPR's dorm. She gently knocked on the door, only to have Jaune answer.

"Yes, Ruby?" he asked.

"Is uhhh... Is Pyrrha there?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Yes, Ruby?" the invincible girl asked as she walked up to the door in her combat gear.

"Do you have a few minutes?" Ruby asked.

"Of course! I always have time for you," she replied, smiling as she followed Ruby through the halls. Eventually they found their way to the roof that Ruby had just come from, and Pyrrha looked around in awe. "Ruby, what is this?"

"Well, we kinda got interrupted last night, so I guess I kinda just wanted to pick up where we left off," Ruby said, offering a hand to Pyrrha after starting the music.

"I... I'd love to, Ruby," the fiery-haired warrior replied as she took the younger girl's hand.

Pyrrha and Ruby started to dance in rhythm to the music, with Ruby having shown a noticeable improvement over when the two had started dancing the previous night.

"I like you, Pyrrha," Ruby said suddenly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" the other girl responded.

"I mean, you're nice, and kind, and well, you're just a great person," Ruby said. "No matter what happens you're always so polite to everyone, even when you're feeling down. I've really liked spending time with you the past few weeks, and I guess I kinda want to spend more time with you."

"Where is this coming from, Ruby?"

"I dunno. I guess... I just like being around you is all," Ruby replied, looking down.

Pyrrha smiled gently as she pulled Ruby's chin up so she was looking the younger girl in her beautiful, silver eyes. "Well, I really like being around you too, Ruby," she replied.

Both girls closed their eyes and slowly started to lean in towards each other. Eventually, their lips clumsily came into contact, sending a jolt of electricity up both girls spines. After what felt like an eternity, the two finally broke apart.

"Well, that was a thing," Ruby quipped, causing Pyrrha to burst out laughing.

"Yes, Ruby," Pyrrha said, as she finally started to calm down. "That was a thing."

"So, what happens now?" Ruby asked. "Are we together, together? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that's what happens when you kiss somebody and... well..."

Pyrrha chuckled again. "Yes, Ruby, I think we are together, together."

"Okay," Ruby said. "So... Ummm... Will you go out with me, Pyrrha?" she asked.

"I would love to, Ruby," Pyrrha replied with another chuckle.

"Oh, ummm... Good!" Ruby said, smiling. "So, should we go?"

"I guess we can," Pyrrha replied. "Though I wouldn't mind staying here and dancing with you a little while longer."

* * *

"So, Pyrrha and I are dating now," Ruby said as she walked back into her team's dorm.

"That took you two long enough," Blake said, not looking up from her book.

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"You two have really been spending so much time together that it was obvious it was going to happen," Blake commented. "Speaking of, Yang, Weiss, you each owe me five Lien."

"Fine," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes as she retrieved the money and handed it to the black-haired Faunus.

"Really, guys?" Ruby shouted. "You were _betting_ on us?"

"Well, it was a quick way to get ten Lien out of those two," Blake said with a shrug.

Ruby groaned as she practically threw herself onto her bed, causing the ropes it was held up by to quiver as Weiss glanced up nervously.

"I swear, that thing is going to kill me one day," she muttered as she lay back when the bed finally stopped shaking.

"So, when is your first date?" Yang asked.

"We were going into Vale for the weekend," Ruby replied, turning over in her bed and sitting up. "Not sure what we're going to do exactly yet, but honestly, I can't wait," she finished, smiling slightly.

* * *

 **A/N: And our lovable rose has finally achieved victory! Expect one more chapter, and then we're done! It's really been a pleasure writing for you all, and I'm glad this thing managed to do this well, even for such a short story. You guys are really a great audience.  
**

 **As always everyone, thanks for reading! You guys are great! Up next, chapter 10 of Rose Guardian: Thus Kindly I Scatter! Expect a feels trip! Until then, folks!**


	6. Ch 6: The Final Round

"Hey, Pyrrha," Ruby said as she walked up to the champion in the center of the arena.

"Hello, Ruby," Pyrrha replied, giving her girlfriend a smile. "Are you ready?"

"You could say that, yeah," Ruby stated, sounding slightly nervous.

It was the last round of the combat tournament. In the time since the dance, Ruby and Pyrrha had mostly kept their relationship a secret from the public, though both their friends and families knew and approved of their relationship. As for Ruby and Pyrrha, the two young women were the happiest they had ever been. Cinder's plan had been foiled at the Vytal Festival ball, her co-conspirators had all been placed under arrest, and both Ruby and Pyrrha were lauded as heroes.

"So, we're still going to be dating after this, right?" Ruby asked, glancing to the ground nervously.

Pyrrha laughed. "Yes, Ruby," she replied, just quietly enough for Ruby to hear. "We will still be dating after this."

"Just making sure," Ruby replied. "Ready?"

Pyrrha drew Miló and Akoúo. "Only if you are," she replied.

Ruby unsheathed Crescent Rose. "Then let's do it," Ruby said confidently.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Professor Port called over the loudspeaker, "we are finally at the last round, between everyone's favorite invincible girl, miss Pyrrha Nikos, and the youngest student to ever attend Beacon Academy," the crowd erupted in cheers. "And, competing against her is one of the most skilled young fighters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, miss Ruby Rose!" The crowd again erupted in cheers, causing Ruby to blush slightly.

"Combatants ready!" Professor Oobleck called. "Begin!"

Ruby and Pyrrha started to circle the edge of the arena. Silver eyes locked with emerald, and he two girls stopped. They both nodded. Suddenly, both girls charged at each other, with Pyrrha leading with her shield and Ruby holding her scythe blade behind her. Ruby swung Crescent Rose around and felt herself shudder as the blade slammed into Pyrrha's shield. The invincible girl swung around with her sword, and Ruby quickly fired Crescent Rose to dodge out of the way. Ruby slid to a stop at the edge of the arena and quickly turned to fire a single shot from the rifle. The bullet hit Pyrrha in the shoulder, knocking her back slightly, and Pyrrha replied by firing a pair of shots at Ruby. Ruby dashed out of the way of the first shot, but she felt the second one hit her shoulder, sending a brief jolt of pain through her body as her aura absorbed the hit.

Ruby charged forward again, using her semblance to accelerate her towards Pyrrha as she fired a pair of shots from Crescent Rose. The first round connected with Pyrrha's shield, and she deflected the second with her sword, unleashing a torrent of slashes at Ruby as the two girls came into close quarters. Ruby replied with a series of attacks of her own, and shell cases flew through the air and landed around the two dueling opponents.

Ruby and Pyrrha broke apart and stopped again at the edge of the arena. Ruby glanced up at the board listing both hers and Pyrrha's Auras. Both girls' were very nearly depleted, with the number displaying a _16_ above the bar.

"Well," Ruby said tiredly, "that's a thing."

"Indeed," Pyrrha replied, panting slightly as well.

"Well, it seems that both fighters are down to the end of their Auras," Professor Port called over the loudspeaker. "If either one takes another hit, then this incredible tournament will come to an end. Regardless of how this duel goes, I think we can all agree that this was an incredible event to witness."

"Together?" Ruby asked Pyrrha.

"Together," Pyrrha replied with a tired smile.

Pyrrha took aim at Ruby, and Ruby replied in kind, staring down the scope of Crescent Rose. The two rifles echoed out with simultaneous shots. Ruby felt the bullet pass her ear and sighed gently. Pyrrha, by contrast, felt Ruby's high-caliber round slam into her abdomen, knocking her to the ground.

"And that concludes the match!" Professor Port said as the arena broke out into applause. "And, in a dramatic upset, the world champion Pyrrha Nikos has been defeated by Ruby Rose!"

Ruby walked over to Pyrrha. With a small smile, she offered a hand to the older girl and helped her to her feet.

"Good match," Ruby said with a smile.

"Same to you," Pyrrha replied, her emerald eyes gleaming.

"Should we?" Ruby asked, cocking her head slightly.

Pyrrha gave Ruby a brilliant smile. "Yes, I think we should."

Ruby nodded. She and Pyrrha rapped their arms around each other, and slowly leaned into each other. After what felt like an eternity, their lips finally met in a gentle kiss. Both girls held each other in that position for what could have been a second or a year, completely oblivious to the second, louder, round of applause that had begun around them. The two young women released each other and pulled into a gentle hug, both sighing contentedly.

"I love you, Pyrrha," Ruby whispered.

"I love you too, Ruby," the former champion replied.

* * *

Ruby and Pyrrha lay next to each other in team RWBY's dorm, with Ruby snuggled into Pyrrha's body and Pyrrha with her arms wrapped gently around the younger girl.

"This is nice," Ruby said with a contented sigh.

"Yes it is," Pyrrha replied with a smile as she closed her eyes.

"Hey Pyrrha?" Ruby said

"Hmm?"

"Back in the arena, you said you loved me," she said, turning her head to look at her girlfriend. "Did you mean it?"

"You said it first, you know" Pyrrha replied giving Ruby a smile as she reopened her eyes

"Well yeah, but, still, did you?"

"Let me put it this way," Pyrrha said, sitting up in the bed. "Even if I was defeated, I'm still one of the most well-known fighters in the world, and I kissed you on camera. If I didn't love you, there is no way I would have done that. So, yes, Ruby, I do really love you."

Ruby smiled as she closed her eyes settled back into Pyrrha's body. "I love you too," she replied.

"Good," Pyrrha replied smiling as she wrapped Ruby into a hug.

"So, what happens now?" Ruby asked.

"Not sure, really," Pyrrha replied. "For the first time in my life, I have my own choice in what happens. Most of my life was decided before I had the chance to say anything about it. For the first time, it's my choice what to do."

"And, what are you going to do?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha hugged Ruby a little tighter. "I think my first choice is going to be spending the night with the girl I love," she replied, kissing the back of the new champion's head.

Ruby giggled. "I love you too," she replied with a gentle smile.

Both Pyrrha and Ruby lay there for several minutes. Eventually, Pyrrha felt Ruby's breaths start to become more drawn out, until she heard a faint snore from the girl, causing Pyrrha to giggle slightly.

 _I really do love you_ , Pyrrha thought as she closed her eyes with a gentle smile. _And I promise you that I will love you for the rest of my life_.

* * *

 **A/N: And we're done on the first day of the new year! Told you folks this was going to be rather short. Personally, though, I think it said what it needed to.**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to you all for reading, not only this, but all of the other things I put out, from Lone White Rose all the way to the collab I'm participating in called Room 205. You guys are a great audience, and the entire reason I'm still around, so thanks for being there everyone.**

 **Now that this is concluded, I'm sure some of you might be expecting me to announce a new story to take it's place in the lineup. Well, unfortunately, I'm going to have to disappoint you there. Writing four stories simultaneously is rather difficult, especially if I want to keep a relatively consistent schedule. Consequentially, I will continue writing my three stories (Flight of a Rose, Rose Guardian, and The Path We Walk), and a new one will follow on when I have at least one of those completed. In case you're wondering, I have a total of four in the pipe, with two listed on my profile, and two more unannounced ones (with both having a sci-fi base). As for what the latter two are, I'll reveal those at a later date.**

 **As always, everyone, thanks for reading! You all have been a great audience! Up next is chapter 11 of Rose Guardian! I'll see you all then, and I hope you have a safe and happy new year!**


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